The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of apparatus for folding products, especially printed products.
Folding devices are known to the art for the folding of printed products, as a general rule in the form of individual sheets, wherein the product to be folded is upset or otherwise appropriately acted upon so that it bows-out. Thereafter, the bowed-out portion is engaged by a clamping conveying gap, for instance appearing between two drums or between the confronting runs of two endless bands traveling in the same direction and there is simultaneously formed the fold. Encompassed within such species of folding devices are, for example, the so-called "pocket folding devices". As a general rule they are only suitable for individual sheets or, however, very thin printed products, for instance printed articles in letter form.
Further known devices for folding of printed products are for instance mounted at printing presses, such as rotary printing presses. As to these type devices there are those which form a fold at the throughpassing printed paper, in other words before there is formed the actual printed product as an individual copy. Other folding devices which are used in the aforementioned environment possess folding blades or swords which suddenly force the printed product to be folded into a folding gap. Although the known devices are capable of also folding multi-sheet printed products, nonetheless the maximum number of sheets is limited, or however, the folding gap must at least be more or less accommodated in size to the thickness of the corresponding product to be folded.
In any event with the prior art devices it is only possible in each case to fold one printed product at a time, comparatively limiting the output or capacity of such equipment, expressed in the number of folds produced per unit of time.